Mastering a foreign language is a valuable tool that may be beneficial to one throughout one's life. However, current foreign language learning tools have several drawbacks that impede their utility. One of the main hindrances to learning a foreign language is lack of time. Busy people often do not have the ability to set aside time on a regular basis to learn a new language. Existing foreign language learning tools utilize simple stories or mechanisms to teach the new language. However, they do not utilize activities which the user would already be engaged in to teach the new language, such as going to see a movie, thus maximizing use of the user's time.
In U.S. application Ser. No. 11/508,032, filed Aug. 21, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference, a method and device for teaching a foreign language is described. A fraction of the words in a text written in a known base language are replaced with synonymous words or phrases in a target foreign language that is being taught. The fraction of words that are replaced can be modified by the user, or can be automatically adjusted in response to measurement of the user's proficiency.
In addition, current foreign language learning tools are designed to teach users who are on the same proficiency level, or to teach users on an individual basis. However, they are not able to simultaneously teach a multiple of users who have varying levels of proficiency.
Some existing systems present full translations to multiple users simultaneously. The New York Metropolitan Opera has individual screens on the seatbacks of each seat which contain subtitles (or “Met supertitles”) that translate the opera being sung, thereby allowing the listeners to understand the plot. Anthony Tommasini, Reinventing Supertitles: How the Met Did It, N.Y. TIMES, Oct. 2, 1995, at C11. However, the supertitles are not designed to teach users a foreign language. The supertitles present translations of the opera to the users. However, the translations are not presented as diglot weaves and are not configured to help the users to learn the foreign language being used in the opera.